Current:Home > MarketsPhiladelphia won’t seek death penalty in Temple U. officer’s death. Colleagues and family are upset-InfoLens
Philadelphia won’t seek death penalty in Temple U. officer’s death. Colleagues and family are upset
View Date:2024-12-23 11:31:08
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s top prosecutor won’t seek the death penalty for a teenager charged with fatally shooting a Temple University officer, a decision that angered the victim’s colleagues and relatives.
District Attorney Larry Krasner, a former civil rights lawyer, has long been a vocal opponent of capital punishment in a state with a moratorium on it. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a fellow Democrat, has vowed not to sign any execution warrants.
Miles Pfeffer, 19, of suburban Philadelphia’s Buckingham Township, learned of the decision at a brief court hearing Wednesday. He is accused of killing Officer Christopher Fitzgerald, 31, in February 2023 as the officer chased three suspects after a series of robberies and carjackings in the area. After two of the suspects hid, officers say, Fitzgerald caught up with Pfeffer and ordered him to the ground. The pair struggled, and Pfeffer shot him six times, killing him, officials say.
Fitzgerald was a married father of four.
Pfeffer, then 18, was arrested the next morning at his mother’s suburban home and charged with murder, killing a police officer, carjacking and other crimes. He remains in prison without bail. No trial date has been set.
A spokesperson for Krasner said the death penalty decision followed “extensive input” from both experts and Fitzgerald’s family.
“They reviewed all aspects of the case itself and all obtainable information on the defendant prior to making their recommendations to D.A. Krasner, who made the final determination,” the statement Wednesday from spokesperson Dustin Slaughter said.
Pfeffer is represented by the public defender’s office, which generally does not comment on cases. Messages left with an office spokesperson were not immediately returned Wednesday.
Joel Fitzgerald, the victim’s father and a former city officer who now heads the transit police in Denver, released a statement saying Krasner’s background as a defense lawyer had “tipped the scales of justice,” according to local news reports.
The Temple University Police Association, in a social media post, called the decision “absolutely devastating.”
veryGood! (785)
Related
- Barbora Krejcikova calls out 'unprofessional' remarks about her appearance
- Biden, Modi look to continue tightening US-India relations amid shared concerns about China
- Airline passenger complained of camera placed in bathroom, police say
- A magnitude 5 earthquake rattled a rural area of Northern California but no damage has been reported
- Stocks soared on news of Trump's election. Bonds sank. Here's why.
- Latin America women’s rights groups say their abortion win in Mexico may hold the key to US struggle
- Shiny 'golden orb' found 2 miles deep in the Pacific stumps explorers: 'What do you think it could be?'
- Jimmy Fallon reportedly apologizes to Tonight Show staff after allegations of toxic workplace
- Tennessee suspect in dozens of rapes is convicted of producing images of child sex abuse
- Marc Bohan, former Dior creative director and friend to the stars, dies at age 97
Ranking
- Relive Pregnant Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly's Achingly Beautiful Romance
- Wisconsin sawmill agrees to pay $191K to federal regulators after 16-year-old boy killed on the job
- Indonesia says China has pledged $21B in new investment to strengthen ties
- Germany pulled off the biggest upset of its basketball existence. Hardly anyone seemed to notice
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- Dr. Richard Moriarty, who helped create ‘Mr. Yuk’ poison warning for kids, dies at 83
- Coco Gauff navigates delay created by environmental protestors, reaches US Open final
- 3 former deputy jailers sentenced to prison in Kentucky inmate’s death
Recommendation
-
Olivia Culpo Celebrates Christian McCaffrey's NFL Comeback Alongside Mother-in-Law
-
This week on Sunday Morning (September 10)
-
Massachusetts investigates teen’s death as company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves
-
Alabama woman gets a year in jail for hanging racially offensive dolls on Black neighbors’ fence
-
Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to watch the fight, time, odds
-
The Surprising Ways the Royal Family Has Changed Since Queen Elizabeth II's Death
-
Alix Earle Makes Quick Outfit Change in the Back of an Uber for New York Fashion Week Events
-
UN goal of achieving gender equality by 2030 is impossible because of biases against women, UN says